GENERIC, ONE-CLICK INTERFACE ASPECTS OF CLOUD CONSOLE

• US 20110055712A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Richter, Owen E., Tung, Teresa Sheausan, Savjani, Vipul
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3404 for parallel or distributed programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method, computer-readable medium, and system for providing access to computing resources provisioned across multiple cloud providers and/or data centers is disclosed. A graphical user interface may be used to display a plurality of computing resources which are provisioned across at least one cloud provider and/or at least one data center, where the plurality of computing resources may implement a virtual machine, a plurality of virtual machines of a cloud computing environment, etc. In response to a selection of the computing resources using the graphical user interface, the plurality of computing resources may be launched and/or configured on the at least one cloud provider and/or at least one data center which provide the computing resources. Access to the plurality of computing resources may then be provided using the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to computing resources, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of computing resources using a graphical user interface, wherein said plurality of computing resources are provisioned across a plurality of cloud providers, and wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a cloud computing environment;

accessing a user selection of said plurality of computing resources, wherein said user selection is input via said graphical user interface;

in response to said accessing, communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to launch said plurality of computing resources; and

providing access for at least one user, via said graphical user interface, to said plurality of computing resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing access further comprises brokering access for a plurality of users to an account held with a particular cloud provider of said plurality of cloud providers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a component selected from a group consisting of an image, an instance of said image, a particular virtual machine of said cloud computing environment, and a plurality of virtual machines of said cloud computing environment.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing authentication data associated with said at least one user; and

determining said plurality of computing resources based on a permission level assigned to said at least one user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to configure said plurality of computing resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computing resources are further provisioned across at least one data center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computing resources are selected from a group consisting of at least one processing resource, at least one storage resource, at least one network resource, at least one operating system, at least one software application, at least one software application configuration, state data, and another type of data.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing a user request, via said graphical user interface, for information about said plurality of computing resources; and

displaying said information about said plurality of computing resources using said graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing, via said graphical user interface, a user selection of an operation associated with said plurality of computing resources; and

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to perform said operation with respect to said plurality of computing resources.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said operation is selected from a group consisting of logging into an instance, saving an instance, reversion to a previously-saved image, restarting of an instance, sharing an instance, deleting an image, creating a new image, and copying of an image.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of providing access to computing resources, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of computing resources using a graphical user interface, wherein said plurality of computing resources are provisioned across a plurality of cloud providers, and wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a cloud computing environment;

accessing a user selection of said plurality of computing resources, wherein said user selection is input via said graphical user interface;

in response to said accessing, communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to launch said plurality of computing resources; and

providing access for at least one user, via said graphical user interface, to said plurality of computing resources.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said providing access further comprises brokering access for a plurality of users to an account held with a particular cloud provider of said plurality of cloud providers.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a component selected from a group consisting of an image, an instance of said image, a particular virtual machine of said cloud computing environment, and a plurality of virtual machines of said cloud computing environment.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing authentication data associated with said at least one user; and

determining said plurality of computing resources based on a permission level assigned to said at least one user.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to configure said plurality of computing resources.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said plurality of computing resources are further provisioned across at least one data center.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said plurality of computing resources are selected from a group consisting of at least one processing resource, at least one storage resource, at least one network resource, at least one operating system, at least one software application, at least one software application configuration, state data, and another type of data.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a user request, via said graphical user interface, for information about said plurality of computing resources; and

displaying said information about said plurality of computing resources using said graphical user interface.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing, via said graphical user interface, a user selection of an operation associated with said plurality of computing resources; and

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to perform said operation with respect to said plurality of computing resources.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said operation is selected from a group consisting of logging into an instance, saving an instance, reversion to a previously-saved image, restarting of an instance, sharing an instance, deleting an image, creating a new image, and copying of an image.

21. A system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein said memory comprises instructions that when executed by said system implement a method of providing access to computing resources, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of computing resources using a graphical user interface, wherein said plurality of computing resources are provisioned across a plurality of cloud providers, and wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a cloud computing environment;

accessing a user selection of said plurality of computing resources, wherein said user selection is input via said graphical user interface;

in response to said accessing, communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to launch said plurality of computing resources; and

providing access for at least one user, via said graphical user interface, to said plurality of computing resources.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said providing access further comprises brokering access for a plurality of users to an account held with a particular cloud provider of said plurality of cloud providers.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said plurality of computing resources are associated with a component selected from a group consisting of an image, an instance of said image, a particular virtual machine of said cloud computing environment, and a plurality of virtual machines of said cloud computing environment.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing authentication data associated with said at least one user; and

determining said plurality of computing resources based on a permission level assigned to said at least one user.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein said method further comprises:

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to configure said plurality of computing resources.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein said plurality of computing resources are further provisioned across at least one data center.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein said plurality of computing resources are selected from a group consisting of at least one processing resource, at least one storage resource, at least one network resource, at least one operating system, at least one software application, at least one software application configuration, state data, and another type of data.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a user request, via said graphical user interface, for information about said plurality of computing resources; and

displaying said information about said plurality of computing resources using said graphical user interface.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing, via said graphical user interface, a user selection of an operation associated with said plurality of computing resources; and

communicating a request to said plurality of cloud providers to perform said operation with respect to said plurality of computing resources.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said operation is selected from a group consisting of logging into an instance, saving an instance, reversion to a previously-saved image, restarting of an instance, sharing an instance, deleting an image, creating a new image, and copying of an image.